In a bid to ensure the doorstep delivery of the Centre’s tribal welfare schemes, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) has urged all states to conduct public outreach camps in the run-up to Independence Day (August 15).The MoTA Secretary, it is learnt, has written to all chief secretaries of states directing them to organise ‘Jan Sunwai’ (public grievance and entitlement camp) at Adi Sewa Kendras between August 13 and 15.The mass outreach has been proposed through the Adi Karmayogi Abhiyan, which was formally launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in September last year to build up a volunteer-led grassroots tribal leadership of about 2 million people across 1 lakh villages.As part of the initiative, tribal-dominated villages were encouraged to establish an Adi Sewa Kendra, where local issues could be addressed and resolved, and development roadmaps charted. It is at these Kendras the public outreach camps are slated to be held.According to government data, 38,509 Kendras have already been established in the country. A further 41,454 remain at the proposal stage.The Centre has asked district collectors to lead the public outreach, and sought inclusion of the tribal development agency, the local administration, and frontline officers from key departments such as health, education, rural affairs, forest, among others.These gatherings have also been utilised by the Centre to widen coverage of two other flagship programmes concerning the welfare of tribal communities, namely the Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan (DAJGUA) and the Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN).Story continues below this adThe PM-JANMAN vision is aimed to improve the socio-economic status of particularly vulnerable tribal groups by bridging gaps in health, education, livelihoods, whereas DAJGUA aims for the holistic development of tribal villages.The upcoming Jan Sunwai outreach initiative will not be the first. Two such events were held earlier — in November 2025 and May 2026.An award-winning journalist with 14 years of experience, Nikhil Ghanekar is an Assistant Editor with the National Bureau [Government] of The Indian Express in New Delhi. He primarily covers environmental policy matters which involve tracking key decisions and inner workings of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. He also covers the functioning of the National Green Tribunal and writes on the impact of environmental policies on wildlife conservation, forestry issues and climate change. Nikhil joined The Indian Express in 2024. Originally from Mumbai, he has worked in publications such as Tehelka, Hindustan Times, DNA Newspaper, News18 and Indiaspend. In the past 14 years, he has written on a range of subjects such as sports, current affairs, civic issues, city centric environment news, central government policies and politics. ... Read MoreHarikishan Sharma, Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express' National Bureau, specializes in reporting on governance, policy, and data. He covers the Prime Minister’s Office and pivotal central ministries, such as the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Ministry of Cooperation, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Ministry of Rural Development, and Ministry of Jal Shakti. His work primarily revolves around reporting and policy analysis. In addition to this, he authors a weekly column titled "STATE-ISTICALLY SPEAKING," which is prominently featured on The Indian Express website. In this column, he immerses readers in narratives deeply rooted in socio-economic, political, and electoral data, providing insightful perspectives on these critical aspects of governance and society. ... Read More Tags:Jual Oram